Welcome Home
by McAbbyAddict
Summary: What was McGee's reaction to Abby decorating his desk in 'Legend? And why did she decorate it in the first place? Possible McAbby in future chapters, possible rating change.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: I always wished we'd seen Tim's reaction to Abby's additions to his desk at the end of 'Legend'. So here's my take. F.**

**Disclaimer: All characters etc are property of Belisarius Productions, I'm just borrowing them for a little while**

McGee entered the darkened bullpen, unable to stifle a yawn as he exited the elevator. The flight from Los Angeles had been the usual nightmare, as were all red eye flights, and he'd been unable to sleep on the plane. Gibbs had dropped him back at the Yard, telling him to go home and get some rest, and he'd gone to do so when it occurred to him. He'd left his keys in his desk. So now he had to track upstairs to get the keys so he could go home and finally crash.

Rounding the partition at the side of Ziva's desk, he stopped in his tracks. What on earth had Abby done to his desk? When Tony had described it as a 'tacky tiki hut' he'd thought he was joking. But here he was, staring at a mass of yellow crepe paper and helium balloons. Annoyance warred with fatigue; he'd have to fix this up before Gibbs saw it. Otherwise, he was pretty sure, it would somehow be his fault. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep. Annoyance won.

He went over to the desk, prepared to start removing Abby's decorations, and then stopped again. His momentary anger was replaced by a rush of affection. With typical Abby sweetness, she'd left him a cupcake and a note. It was the little things like this that made him love her. He picked up the note and smiled. He'd missed her too.

Taking his cell out of his pocket, he stood back and took a few photos of his desk to prove that he wasn't dreaming, and then gently he started removing the tape that held her decorations in place, folding each piece carefully as he removed it. He couldn't destroy her handiwork somehow. He had no idea what to do with it; keeping it all just seemed a little disturbing, maybe bordering on obsessive. He kept the balloons, slipping both them and the note into his pack. Leaving the rest of the decorations in a neat pile behind his desk, he walked out of the bullpen and back into the elevator, remembering this time to grab his keys. He'd come in early tomorrow and see Abby. It was too late now to call her.

...

Abby couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, trying to find the most comfortable position she could. She was so tired. But her mind was still busy worrying away, stopping her from getting the rest she needed. Opening her eyes, she checked the time on the alarm clock on the night stand. 2.16 AM.

Their flight was due to land over an hour ago; Tim should be home by now. She smiled, imagining his reaction to his desk in the morning. She really had missed him; it was rare and unusual for Gibbs to take him on one of these out of town cases. Normally he took Tony or Ziva. So she'd been Timmy- deprived for two whole days. She knew it was irrational; she didn't see him every day normally, but there was something odd about being at work and knowing he definitely was not just upstairs at his desk in the squad room.

She wished she'd been there to welcome him home. It was silly, but she was always there to welcome one of the team home from an absence, at least when they returned to work. But their flight had gotten in so late, she just hadn't been able to.

So she'd decorated Tim's desk instead, leaving him a special cupcake as a substitute for her usual hug. She knew she'd probably gone overboard on the decorations, but she didn't care. Tim was a special case. She admitted to herself that she was scared that Tim would want to transfer now that he'd had a taste of the Office for Special Projects. She'd heard about the gadgets they had, and her Tim was nothing if not a tech addict. So she'd gone a little overboard on his desk, hoping that he'd understand that it meant that he was loved here; for all their fancy toys, OSP couldn't give him that.

She sat up, throwing the covers back, and climbed out of her coffin. She wasn't going to get to sleep, that was obvious. Mind made up, she rummaged around for some clothes. She was going to go and welcome him home properly.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ok, this is pure fluff; a nice change from the angst I've been writing in other stories. I've got another chapter of one of my other WIPs to post; funny how I write more when I'm sleep deprived! More soon. F.**

He stood under the hot shower, half asleep. He knew he should really go to bed and try and get some sleep; he still had to work tomorrow and that meant he'd only get about 4 hours sleep if he was lucky. But the water felt good, and he was almost too tired to move.

A noise jerked him out of his half-doze. He turned the water off, listening for the noise to repeat itself. Someone was knocking on his front door. Who would be visiting him at this time of night? He quickly dried off and grabbed his clothes, pulling his shirt on over his head as he walked down the hallway. The knocking started again, more insistent this time, so he called out

"I'm coming, I'm coming"

Unlocking the door, he swung it open and was surprised to see Abby on his doorstep

"Hey" she said nonchalantly, as it if was perfectly normal for her to turn up at his apartment at 3am

"Hey, Abs" he said confusedly, stepping back to let her inside, then locking the door behind her

"What are you doing here?" he asked, trying not to sound like he didn't want her there. In reply, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. After a split second's hesitation, he hugged her back. He was starting to worry now; was something wrong?

"Is everything ok, Abs?"

She lifted her head and smiled at him

"Nothing's wrong, Tim. I just wanted to welcome you home" she told him

He couldn't help but grin at her for that. Trust Abby to turn up out of the blue just because he'd been out of town for a few days

"I thought you'd already done that" he said. "My desk" he explained

"You've already seen it? What were you doing in the squad room so late?"

"I left my keys in my desk"

"You didn't mind that I decorated it, did you?" she asked

"No, Abs" he hugged her again "And thank you for the cupcake"

"You're welcome, Tim"

Letting go of her reluctantly, he led the way into the kitchen

"I'm going to make some hot chocolate; want some?" he asked, reaching into the cabinet for mugs

"Sure"

He turned on the stove, putting milk onto heat while he found the cocoa and marshmallows in the pantry cupboard, using the time to try and figure out why she'd come over rather than waiting to see him at work the next day. A few minutes later, the hot chocolate was ready. He took their mugs over to the table, setting one down in front of Abby.

"Thanks"

"So why are you really here?" he asked. Fatigue was making him blunt

"I just wanted to see you" she told him, reaching out and taking his free hand where it rested on the table "I missed you"

"I missed you too, Abs" he smiled at her, feeling a warmth inside that had nothing to do with the hot chocolate.

He told her about OSP, describing their gadgetry with enthusiasm, knowing that she was the only one in the team that would share it. It was one of the things he loved about her. Finally He yawned, trying to hide it. She saw it however, rising from the table and tugging him to his feet.

"You need sleep, Tim" she said "Come on, I'll tuck you in"

He let her guide him down the hallway to his bedroom, gratefully crawling into the bed. She pulled the comforter up over his shoulders, then sat down on the bed beside him.

"Night Abby" he yawned again

"Night, Tim" she said softly. Then

"You're not thinking about transferring, are you?" she asked. He could hear the worry in her voice. That explained it, why she'd come over tonight. He wanted to reassure her that as much as he coveted the technology that the OSP had, it didn't have one tenth the attraction that the MCRT had for him- because it didn't have her. He wished they had the same technology, sure, but he wished he could work on it with her. He knew she'd appreciate it as much as he did. But sleep was overtaking him, making it hard to frame the words. He settled on the simple

"Never gonna leave you, Abs" he told her as he faded off to sleep


	3. Chapter 3

Relieved, she smiled at his words as he drifted off. The whole trip over, she'd been imagining conversations in her mind where Tim told her that he was leaving, and coming up with arguments to convince him to stay. She'd told herself that she was being paranoid, that he didn't have a reason to leave; but there was a little voice in the back of her head that kept saying he didn't really have a reason to stay. The team was like family to him, she knew that; but families drifted apart. None of them were very close to their biological families; they'd all left in search of other things. He'd changed so much; she'd thought that maybe this would be the opportunity he'd take.

She glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand. 3.30am. If she went home now, she could get about 2 hours sleep. She thought about it for a moment, then decided she didn't really want to leave his apartment. She wouldn't admit it to anyone but herself right now, but the chance of him leaving had scared her more than she cared to think about. Getting up from her perch on the bed, she went around to the unoccupied side and stretched out. She doubted he'd mind.

...

The sound of the alarm startled him awake. Groaning, he slapped at the clock, turning the alarm off. He decided that waking to the obnoxious sound of the alarm was one of the worst ways to wake up. Especially when you'd had less than 3 hours sleep. He sat up, knowing that if he lay there he'd go back to sleep and end up late for work, then froze as the opposite side of the bed creaked. The last thing he remembered was telling Abby he wasn't going to leave. What had happened?

Slowly he turned around, meeting her sleepy green eyes. She smiled

"Morning, Tim!"

He'd forgotten how chirpy she was in the morning

"Morning Abs" he replied automatically. He was more than a little confused right now, but politeness was a habit that was hard to break.

She sat up and stretched, seemingly unconcerned about waking up in her best friend's bed. "We should get moving McGee, you don't want to be late" she pointed out.

As if on autopilot, he stood and headed to the bathroom, taking one last backwards glance as he left the room. He needed to be a little more awake for this conversation.

...

He splashed cold water on his face, letting the chill wake him up. He took a few more moments than he strictly needed, trying desperately to recall the events of the night before. They'd both woken up fully clothed, so he knew nothing hinky had gone on. That was a relief, but in a strange way. If they'd had sex, he would have liked to remember. Mindful of the fact he had a guest, he quickly shaved and left the bathroom.

She was sitting at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee when he walked down the hall, fully dressed if not fully awake.

"Bathroom is all yours, Abs" he told her, pouring his own coffee.

"Thanks Tim" she put her cup in the sink and headed up the hall. He watched her go, shaking his head. They'd need to talk about this at some point. The hell of it was that they wouldn't have time before leaving for work, which meant he wouldn't get an explanation until lunch time at the earliest. The obvious answer was that she'd just fallen asleep last night, but that left questions of its own. And knowing Abby, the obvious answer usually wasn't the correct one.

Finishing his coffee, he picked up his pack from where he'd dropped it on getting home a few hours earlier. He removed the balloons, bundling their strings together and tying them to his desk chair, then went back and dug through his pack again. He quickly found what he was looking for; her note. He smiled tenderly as he re read it, and then slipped it into one of the many folders he kept near his typewriter.

The jingle of the buckles on her favourite platform boots alerted him to her presence. He looked up

"We'd better get going, Abs" he told her, trying to act as if this was a normal occurrence, both leaving for work from his apartment. She nodded, grabbing the bag he hadn't even noticed she had and her coat. He gestured for her to precede him, locking the door behind them.

Her hearse was parked in the visitors spot in the building parking lot, a few spaces up from his Porsche. She unlocked the unusual vehicle, climbing in. He held the edge of the driver's door, stopping her from closing it.

"Want to get some lunch later, Abs?" he asked her, hoping she'd say yes. Otherwise he'd spend the whole day trying to figure this out... whatever it was.

"Sure Tim" she replied "Just let me know when you're free". He let the door go as she started the engine, watching as she drove out of the parking lot. Giving himself a mental shake, he went to his own car. It was going to be a long morning.


	4. Chapter 4

Waking up next to Tim had been an unusual experience. Granted, they'd woken up together more than just a few times in the past, but that was past and had been for almost 5 years now. This was different. For starters, when they'd shared a bed previously, it had been a mutual thing, not her crawling into bed beside him when he was sleeping.

Sharing his bed had seemed like a good idea the night before, but now she wasn't so sure. She knew he wouldn't have minded if she stayed, but why hadn't she used the guest bedroom like before? It felt like she'd crossed a line somehow. She wasn't even sure why she'd decided to sleep in his bed. She knew she owed him an explanation- he'd looked so confused to find her there- but she needed to figure out why she'd done what she'd done first.

So she'd done her best to act normally, treat this as an everyday event and not something that could permanently change their relationship. She thought she'd succeeded, at least where he could see her. She'd let herself panic a little when he was in getting ready for work, but she'd hidden it by the time he walked down the hallway.

She sighed, exasperated with herself. What had possessed her last night? Something had stopped her from leaving him; a fear of losing him. But why had she reacted like that? The dread she'd felt had been stronger than it was when she'd learnt that Vance was splitting them all up after Jenny's death.

She passed through the security checkpoints at the entrance to the Navy Yard, turning into the NCIS staff parking. She got out of the car, heading for the headquarters building. Once she reached the quiet and privacy of her lab, she dug in her desk drawers for the small stock of makeup and toiletries she kept there, and then went down the hall to the bathroom. If any of the team saw her without her customary makeup on, they'd probably jump to the wrong conclusion. Well, partially the wrong conclusion anyway. She hadn't spent the night at home, just not in the way they'd assume.

Applying her makeup occupied her hands, but left her mind free. These few minutes of quiet before the usual flood of evidence into her lab were going to be the only she got before her lunch date with Tim, and she really needed to have some sort of explanation for him. It wasn't fair to leave him wondering.

So why had she turned up at his apartment in the middle of the night? Last night she'd convinced herself that it was a simple matter of wanting to welcome him home, and that was part of it. She'd missed him, and Gibbs; work just wasn't the same without them. But the team had arrived home from an out of town case in the middle of the night plenty of times. Would she have gone over to Tony's, or Ziva's, at 3am just because they'd been gone for a couple of days? The answer to that was obvious; she never would have even thought of doing so. The answer might have been obvious, but the reasons behind the answer were complex. Tim was her best friend, but that didn't really explain it either; Tony was like her brother. So why would she have gone over to Tim's place when she wouldn't do the same if it was Tony? And why was the fear of losing him so much stronger than her fear of losing the whole team?

She finished putting on her usual makeup and ran a brush through her hair, tying up her pigtails. She'd done the best she could at Tim's, but she'd stopped short of borrowing his comb. She figured she'd crossed enough lines for one day. Ready for the day, at least on the surface, she made her way back to the lab. She still had some time before she could reasonably expect any visitors.

She moved around her domain, getting her equipment ready for the day's work. Working with the MCRT, you never knew what you'd get thrown at you. Everything had to be ready to go. She worked on autopilot, her mind still turning over her many questions. Tony had said she was sublimating her missing Gibbs onto Tim; she'd laughed, but he'd been so far from right that it wasn't funny.

She'd missed Tim even more than she did when he'd been transferred. It was ridiculous, she knew. He'd only been gone 2 days. She guessed length of time didn't matter when you loved someone. She paused. Where did that thought come from? She dismissed it, telling herself that of course she loved Tim; he was her best friend and a platonic love was always going to be part of that bond. Hell, she'd told him that many times.

But somehow it rang hollow in her mind this time.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Wow, my first post in 36 hours. That's unusual for me. Hope you like this. F.**

She was interrupted by the first visitor to her lab- Tony carrying an evidence crate. They must have gotten a case early today. She checked the time, surprised to see it was only just after 9am. Very early, if they were already done processing the scene.

"Hey Tony" she said as he deposited the crate on her lab table. "Early one today?"

"Hey Abs. Yeah, dead Marine at Quantico. Killed overnight, they found him this morning. Got his uniform and personal effects for you"

"Right. No murder weapon?" she started signing the chain of evidence logs, noting the blood on the uniform as she checked each bag. "That's a lot of blood"

"Yeah, Ducky said preliminary cause of death was exsanginuation. Haven't found the murder weapon yet, McGee's still searching"

"Nasty. What am I looking for?"

"The usual"

"Anything hinky. Got it" She began sorting the evidence bags into order of priority. She wanted to get these tests run quickly so she could still meet her lunch date with McGee. She didn't even notice when Tony left her lab, giving her a curious look as he went.

...

She started with the Marine's clothing, noting the blood spray across the front of his uniform shirt. 'Throat cut' she thought to herself as she worked. Always thorough, she checked out the clothing with the ALS gear, looking for less visible blood and bodily fluids. She smirked at her findings, noting a possible motive. She took swabs, running them through the DNA database. Soon Palmer brought blood and tissue samples up for her to work on. She set them to test through her mass spectrometer while she turned her attention to the dead Marine's personal effects.

True to form, Gibbs walked through her lab door holding a Caf-Pow! just as her computer dinged. Good, she thought. After the small amount of sleep she'd had, she needed the caffeine.

"What do you got Abs?"

"Hey Gibbs." She brought up the feed from her mass spectrometer, quickly absorbing the information "I finished analysing the blood from our dead Marine. I found traces of diazepam, Gibbs"

"Valium"

"Yeah"

"Any chance it was self administered?"

"No way. Not unless he was trying to commit suicide anyway. It was present in a much higher concentration than you'd normally find if someone was just taking a standard dose"

"He was drugged"

"That's right, Gibbs"

"That's good work Abs" he handed her the Caf-Pow!, turning to leave

"Wait Gibbs, I'm not done"

He turned back, giving her a questioning look

"I ran his clothing under the ALS and I found something. There was a party in our Marine's pants, Gibbs. I found evidence that he'd been with at least 2 women shortly before he died"

"Got names?"

"I'm running the samples now"

"Let me know when you've got a match"

She nodded, hoping that the mystery women belonged to the Armed Forces. It was a lot easier to get hits that way.

...

"Hey Abs" McGee's voice came from behind her as she watched the DNA tests run

"Hey McGee" she grinned "Got something for me?"

He held up a cylinder containing a serrated knife, sticky with blood

"Found it in a Dumpster a block away from the crime scene"

She took it off him, looking through the clear plastic

"Looks like at least a couple of partial prints" She pulled on a pair of latex gloves, opening the container to get a better look.

"Abs?"

She looked up from her examination of the bloody knife

"I've got time for lunch in about an hour" he told her

She felt her heart start beating faster; she'd been concentrating so hard on the evidence they'd given her, she hadn't had time to think anymore about last night. She still had no idea what to tell him.

"Depends on whether I get results first, Tim" she pointed out "I'll let you know"

He nodded; he knew what it was like. He gave her a shy smile as he left her lab.

...

As it was, she matched the fingerprints off the knife quickly. She'd pulled 3 prints off the knife, and they'd all belonged to the same person. She'd gotten a hit on them a lot faster than she'd expected. It had helped that the Marine's wife had a criminal record. Gibbs had ordered them to bring her in, then sent the team to lunch, letting her stew in Interrogation in the meantime. They had motive and the murder weapon; now all they needed was a confession.

Abby went upstairs in search of Tim, estimating that she had about half an hour if she was lucky before she had to worry about missing hits on the DNA search.

...

They went to a cafe not far from the Navy Yard, each aware that they might be recalled at any time. They settled down at a table on the sidewalk, placing orders with the waitress. They made small talk for a few minutes, both strangely self conscious. Finally Abby broached the subject they'd been avoiding

"You were serious about not transferring to OSP right?"

He sighed, whether in relief or exasperation she couldn't tell

"Honestly Abs, it never even crossed my mind. Their technology is sweet, but technology isn't everything. Most of what they do is undercover work, which isn't really my strong point. The only thing I'd be suited for over there is working on the computer side of things and they already have someone who does all that. I'd never get to work cases the way I do here. And besides, I always wanted to be a field agent."

He paused for a moment. "You asked me that last night too. Was that why you came over? You were worried I was gonna leave?"

She nodded

"Partly" she admitted. "I guess I was worried that you'd find you liked working the way they do"

He gave her a look for a moment, then

"Partly?"

**A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't worry, I'll end the cliffhanger shortly. F.**


	6. Chapter 6

She was silent

"Abs, what do you mean by partly?" He pressed. Usually he knew that pushing Abby for answers was counterproductive, but he really had to know this one

"I really missed you Tim" she hedged

He sighed- he knew that

"I know I've already told you that, but I mean really missed you. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, even Caf-Pow didn't taste as good. You're my best friend, but that's not it. The thought of you leaving really scared me, Tim. And I don't really know why. That's why I came over, and that's why I stayed. I'm sorry I didn't use the spare bedroom, I probably freaked you out."

He smiled at the memory

"It was a little unnerving" he allowed "I didn't even know you'd stayed until I realised you were in my bed. You're always welcome at my place, Abs. So don't apologise- it's a sign of weakness" he teased.

"Rule 6" she laughed

"Yeah"

Serious again, she said "Look, Tim, I'm sorry if I crossed a line last night. And I wanted to have a better explanation for you than 'I don't know', but I don't have one right now. When I figure it out, I'll tell you"

...

"Why did you think I'd leave?" he asked a moment later "I love my job, Abby. I've never even thought about leaving"

She thought for a moment before answering "I guess it's just because you've changed so much since you joined the team, McGee. I keep thinking that one day you're going to want something other than being a field agent"

He shook his head "Not going to happen, Abs. Look, I've worked two positions other than Gibbs' team, and I didn't like either of them. Being a case agent was mainly paperwork, and Cybercrimes was just as bad. I missed the fieldwork, I missed the team, and I missed working with you. I'm not gonna give that up, Abs"

Absorbed in their conversation, the sound of his cell phone ringing made them both jump. Pulling it out of his coat pocket, he checked the caller ID. Tony. Grimacing, he answered it

"McGee"

"Better get back here, McMissing. Boss is about to start the interrogation."

He cursed inwardly as he answered

"Be there in 5". He hung up and turned back to Abby.

"You gotta go huh?"

"Yeah"

He stood up and gave her money for the check then picked up his pack

"Look Abs, I really am ok with you coming over and staying like that. Just let me know if you're going to make a habit of sharing my bed" He smiled at her. "I wouldn't mind" he admitted, then turned and walked away


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This story seems destined to end up as a series of short chapters, sorry. I'm trying to write them as fast as I can lol. F**

Abby watched him go, a little taken aback at his parting words. She tried to tell herself that he must have meant them in a platonic way, but had to admit she was kidding herself. There really wasn't any other construction you could put on them. Tim wanted her. The idea sent a little thrill down her spine. Slowly she stood up from the table and went and paid for lunch, then walked the short distance back to the Yard. They'd constantly indulged in light flirting since he'd joined the team; it was part of their normal interaction. But this went way beyond that. Tim's words were a declaration of sorts.

She knew that he'd been reluctant to end their previous romantic entanglement; the decision to break it off had been hers. But they'd become best friends, and he'd never even hinted that he wanted anything else. So what had made him change his mind? And what was he looking for? Just a fling or something more permanent? Knowing Tim, she doubted he was after a fling. What did she do now? He'd obviously meant to leave the next move up to her. She could pretend it never happened... she felt an odd stab of pain at that. No. She couldn't do that to Tim. He wouldn't have said anything if it didn't matter to him. She'd have to give him an answer one way or another. She hoped he could wiat a little while until she figured things out. For starters, her stray thought of the morning about loving Tim refused to stay banished, and now on top of that she had her stranged reaction to the knowledge that he wanted her in his bed. What was going on with her? Re entering her lab, she tried to force herself to consider the problem logically, going over every possible answer from long buried residual feelings to simple sleep deprivation. When that didn't help, she started a mental list of reasons she'd climbed into bed with him.

The ding of her computer as she got a hit on the DNA sample jerked her back to awareness of her surroundings. She was a little annoyed with herself when she realised she'd slipped into a daydream about Tim.

...

Why had he said that? He asked himself as he walked quickly back to NCIS. He'd spoken nothing but the truth; if Abby wanted to make sleeping in his bed a habit, he'd be overjoyed. But she was his best friend. Talk about crossing lines, he thought to himself. She'd apologised for crossing one by turning up in the first place, and now here he was, so far over the line he couldn't see it any more. He had no idea how she would react to his rather offhand comment. Her lack of explanation as to why she'd climbed into bed with him gave him a little hope. Surely if it had just been a matter of being too tired to drive, she would have used the spare bedroom? She'd done so, many times, after watching movies and ending up half asleep on his couch. No, if it had just been that she was too tired to drive, she would have said so. He hoped he wasn't reading too much into her actions. Exhaustion made people do things they wouldn't normally do, and she said she hadn't slept while he was away. He'd just have to wait and see how she reacted.

He opened the door of Observation, slipping quietly into the darkened room and trying his best to push thoughts of Abby aside for now. He had a job to do.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here's a longer chapter for you this time, everyone**

**Thank you all for the overwhelming flood of reviews and alerts after my last post. It was the icing on the cake after an awesome day. F.**

She opened the door into Observation, letting light into the darkened room. All three of them turned towards the door, watching as she entered.

"Hey Abs" Tony greeted her. "What are you doing up here?"

"Got a hit on the DNA samples" she explained "Thought it was something Gibbs could use". She looked around as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Tony and Ziva were standing closest to the large one way mirror that was the dominant feature of the room; McGee stood a step or two behind them. She went and stood next to him, craning forward a little so she could see between Tony and Ziva's shoulders. The wife had a disdainful expression on her face

"Has she said anything yet?" she asked. McGee shook his head.

"Not yet. She's been a lot tougher than we thought."

"This might help" she told them, daring to look sideways, studying him. He looked tired and a little distracted, his brow furrowed in thought despite the lack of activity in the room before them. She was pretty sure she knew what he was thinking about, and it wasn't the case. He looked down at her, catching her glance, a telltale flush creeping up over his face. She quickly looked away, catching the movement in the interrogation room as Gibbs stood and walked to the door. She darted out of Observation, knowing the team was behind her.

"Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs. I got a match on the DNA samples. There was two women's DNA on the Marine's pants. I traced one of them back to a Petty Officer Carolyn Drew. I pulled her service records, and get this. Petty Officer Drew is related to our Marine's wife; they're half sisters"

She handed Gibbs the printouts of the DNA report and Drew's service record.

"That's good work, Abs" Gibbs turned and went back into Interrogation

The team returned to Observation; there was a sense of suppressed excitement in the room now. They could tell Gibbs was going to break her. They watched as he sat down again, laying Abby's printouts on the table one by one. Softly, persuasively, he laid out the facts of the case again. Then "We matched DNA found on your husband's clothing to a Petty Officer Carolyn Drew". They all saw her reaction to the name, jaw and neck muscles tightening as Gibbs continued "She's your half sister, isn't she? So your husband was sleeping with your sister... is that why you killed him?"

"She's my sister" she hissed out through her clenched teeth

"So you took a knife and cut his throat while he was sleeping! Did you give him the Valium to stop him struggling?"

The look she gave Gibbs spoke volumes. He slapped the table with his open palm

"Did you?"

She nodded, shoulders slumping as she began to recount the events of the previous night. Abby left Observation quietly, heading back to her lab. She had an evidence report to finish and file before she could go home, and she wanted to get it done quickly.

...

Once back in the lab, she turned the music up to its usual ear splitting volume and settled herself at her desk, pulling her notes towards her. All she had to do, she told herself, was type up this evidence report, and then she could go home and hopefully get some sleep. She would not allow herself to think about Tim McGee, and certainly not allow herself to daydream about him the way she had earlier. She began typing furiously, hoping the evidence would stop her from becoming distracted.

Her stern words to herself worked for about 15 minutes. Without realising it, her typing slowed and stopped as she replayed his parting words at the cafe in her mind. They still sent shivers down her spine, setting a few butterflies loose in the pit of her stomach. She caught herself up as she started to lose herself in thoughts of Tim, administering a mental head slap. She picked up the thread of her evidence report again, managing to piece it together through her disjointed thoughts. She printed off a copy for her records, emailed a copy to the Director for the Agency file and picked up her bag. She took the necessary few moments to shut down her equipment, and then she was out the door.

She made it home in good time, stopping briefly on the way to pick up takeout. She settled down on the couch to eat, not bothering to turn the TV on; she knew she wouldn't watch it anyway. Now that she was home, she could let herself think things over. She mentally replayed their conversation in the cafe once again, feeling the jolt that ran through her whenever she thought of his words, letting the butterflies loose again. She pictured him in her mind- the look in his expressive green eyes, the way he'd smiled at her- feeling the butterflies growing as she did so. She was a little irked at herself. Plenty of guys had made it clear that they found her attractive and none of them had sparked this kind of reaction from her. What was it about him that had her all tied up in knots? Abandoning her partly eaten dinner, she got to her feet. She needed to move around; it helped her think.

Pacing restlessly, she turned back to her mental list of reasons from earlier that afternoon. Why had she gotten into bed with Tim? Last night she'd been too relieved to learn that he wasn't going anywhere to want to leave him, but she knew it went deeper than that. Tim's apartment was functional, utilitarian even; but somehow it felt more like home than her own apartment did. Even after the debacle with Mikel, she felt safe there. She admitted to herself that it had more to do with the occupant rather than the apartment itself. Looking around at her own apartment, she suddenly felt caged. She picked up her keys and shrugged back into her coat.

...

She looked at the familiar door in front of her. She had no clear memory of deciding to come here; she'd been driving aimlessly through the city, and each turn had somehow brought her one step closer to this point. She wavered, unable to make herself either knock on the door or turn and walk away. Behind her lay a security of sorts; where the scariest thing she had to face was a Gibbs who hadn't had coffee and some hinky evidence. Ahead of her... It might be scary, but she wanted to do this. She wanted to see him, wanted to see that special grin he only gave her, wanted to hear his voice. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This story really won't leave me alone. So here's another chapter for you. More to follow! F.**

McGee's steps dragged as he slowly walked towards his apartment. After a combination of three hours sleep and a full day at work, he was more than just tired. All he wanted to do was go home and collapse. Luckily their case had wrapped up quickly, thanks to Abby's DNA match, and Gibbs had sent them all home as soon as they'd finished their reports.

Abby. The Goth forensic scientist was never far from his thoughts at any time, and after their conversation at lunch he'd barely been able to think of anything else. He still didn't really know why he'd effectively propositioned his best friend, except that all of sudden he'd been so sick of waiting and hoping for her to change her mind about only wanting his friendship. Luckily she didn't seem to be angry about it; she'd come and stood next to him in Observation this afternoon, and he'd caught her watching him. She'd looked concerned, but not angry or annoyed, for which he was thankful. As soon as he'd said it, he'd started to worry that he might have just have destroyed their friendship.

He unlocked his front door, letting his pack slide off his shoulder onto the floor. He'd deal with it in the morning, but for now it could stay there. He shed his suit jacket and draped it over the back of the couch. It could stay there too. Right now all he wanted was a hot shower and about a week's worth of sleep. He decided he was too tired to bother about getting dinner; he wasn't really hungry anyway.

He was standing under the stream of hot water when it occurred to him that that was what he'd been doing when Abby had turned up on his doorstep. Had it really only been yesterday? Actually, he corrected himself mentally; it was still the same day. It had been a truly strange day. He turned the water off, drying off and pulling on the old baggy MIT tee and boxers he used as pyjamas. He stumbled into the bedroom, climbing gratefully into bed. His last conscious thought was that he wished Abby was there to tuck him in again.

...

The sound of knocking jerked him out of a sound sleep. Groggily, he raised his head off the pillow, unsure of where it was coming from for a moment. Whoever it was knocked again; he thought for a split second about ignoring it and going back to sleep, but then the knocking became more insistent. Groaning, he hauled himself out of the bed and walked down the hallway. Not bothering to check who it was, he wrenched the door open, and then leant on the edge of it in his surprise.

"Hi" she said, sounding slightly out of breath

"Hi" he replied softly

"Can I come in?" He stood aside so she could enter, not quite sure if it was a good idea or not. She walked straight past him and into his living room, pacing restlessly up and down the length of the room. He followed her, leaning one shoulder against the wall.

"Abs, why are you here?"

"I was at home and I was trying to relax but I couldn't because I kept thinking so I went for a drive, I don't really know where and" she paused

Amused, he watched her pace and ramble. He loved it when she did this; it was like her thoughts were coming too quickly to internalise them, so she just said exactly what she was thinking

"And then I realised that every turn I made was bringing me here. I was gonna leave, but..." she stopped, a torn look on her face

"But?" he prompted. She didn't appear to hear him, stopping her restless moving and coming to stand right in front of him

"Tim, did you mean it? What you said this afternoon?"

That's what had made her so agitated? He wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. His first instinct was to dissemble, tell her he was kidding. But the same reckless impulse he'd felt in the cafe seized him. He was done hiding from her. So instead of concealing it behind his usual rigid self control, he let the love and desire he felt for this woman show on his face. Looking straight into her wary green eyes, he replied

"Every word, Abs"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Ok, this is officially the shortest chapter I've ever written. It's also my 4****th**** chapter in 28 hours. Surely you'll forgive me? :P**

**Reviews are always appreciated. F.**

She felt her breath catch in her throat at the look in his eyes. She'd never seen such yearning on his face before, not even when they were dating. How had she missed this? Her heart skipped a beat and started racing, even faster than before, and the butterflies felt like they'd increased exponentially. She stood transfixed, staring at him, unable to speak. Slowly the blazing look died out of his eyes, replaced by a sadness that made her heart ache. He pushed himself away from the wall, turning away from her and opening the door

"Please, just go" he told her, his voice shaking, still looking away from her. She considered for a moment, then moved on leaden feet to the door he held open. She swung it closed, twisting the locks until they clicked home, then turned to where he stood, shoulders slumped in dejection.

"I'm not going anywhere" she informed him. He lifted his head at that, a small spark of anger in his eyes

"Abby" he warned

"No, Tim. We need to talk about this" she insisted "This isn't going to just go away"

"Don't you think I know that?" he snapped, an angry red flush spreading across his face "It's never going to go away." He drew a ragged breath before continuing "Look, I made it pretty clear today what I want, Abby. We can stand here and talk about it all night, but it's not going to change anything if you don't want me"

She was a little baffled by his reaction; why had he gotten angry so quickly? She didn't think she'd ever forget the look on his face; recalling it, the tenderness that was part of the longing she'd seen, the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. He was in love with her. And it was as if a veil had lifted from her mind; suddenly she knew why she'd been irresistibly drawn here. She'd even admitted to herself, but dismissed it as ridiculous. She loved him. She felt a surge of exultation at the knowledge, leaving her knees weak and her hands trembling. It was clear now, his sudden change of mood from sadness to anger. He'd taken her stunned silence as rejection, lashing out in hurt.

Her voice trembling, she asked "What if I do?"

"Don't say that, Abby. Not if you don't mean it" he told her, the pain in his voice clear to both of them

"But I do"


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: A really short ending, I know. **

**Hey, who knows, I might even write a sequel at some point. F.**

It was his turn to be stunned into silence. There was a small glimmer of hope in his eyes now, coupled with suspicion. She had to explain, she owed him that

"I was thinking about why I didn't go home last night" she told him. "And I figured it out." She took a small step closer to him

She saw him swallow before asking

"Why?"

"Because being here, in your apartment... It feels like home, Tim. I got into bed with you because there was nowhere else I wanted to be." She took another step closer to him, close enough now that they were almost touching

"And I intend on making a habit of it"

...

She was so close. He could smell her gunpowder perfume; feel the faint warmth that radiated from her body. It would be so easy just to reach out and pull her into his arms and never let her go. But he had to be sure she was serious, that this wasn't some strange whim. Whatever it was she wanted from him, it was obvious from her words that it wasn't going to be a one night thing. How serous was she?

So he stood still, studying her face, forcing himself not to move while he ached to hold her. Her expression was intent, and there was a warmth in her eyes that he'd never seen there before, something both tender and passionate. It could only be love.

Abandoning any pretence of self control, he swept her into his arms, kissing her fiercely, feeling her tremble in response. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he recognised that they still had things to discuss. But she loved him, wanted to be with him; everything else could be dealt with later. Not breaking the kiss, he slowly guided her down the hallway to the bedroom he'd so reluctantly vacated.

Sleep? It could wait too.


End file.
